How Foodmakers Give Their Products That ‘Homemade’ Feel

Does putting a packaged dinner kit near tomato sauce in the grocery store make it seem more homemade?

Yes, say major packaged food manufactures like Kraft Foods Group and General Mills Inc. who are introducing a raft of new products that aim to offer consumers easy-to-prep meals that still feel home-cooked.

To drive home the message that the new product isn’t a full meal, but more of an ingredient one cooks with, Kraft hopes grocery stores stock kits near tomato sauces. Consumers already use pasta sauce “as a base ingredient,” for other recipes, says Ann Stockman, brand manager for Kraft Recipe Makers.

Packaging also counts. The Recipe Makers boxes have two cutouts on the front above each sauce so consumers can see what they are getting, telling them there are “not potatoes and pasta in a box,” says Ms. Stockman. The cutouts also let shoppers see bits of ingredients in the sauces, she says.

At the grocery store, consumers tend to think a product “in the produce aisle is probably fresh and if it’s in the refrigerated aisle, that is probably more fresh than frozen,” says Judy Bowman, global consumer insights director for General Mills Inc.

This summer General Mills plans to roll out Old El Paso Mexican Cook Sauce in three flavors. The sauce is meant to be combined with fresh ingredients like meat and vegetables, which makes home cooks feel more involved in the process, says Ms. Bowman.